CIRCULAR NO. 109, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 



The grades are in use in a number of other associations that have not 

 gone through the formality of adopting them by vote. The accom- 

 panying chart indicates the distribution of the grades up to the 1st 

 of October, 1912. 



The original set of standards was prepared by experts under the 

 direction of the committee referred to, and from this set the copies 

 for sale have been made by experts from time to time, as required. 

 The original cost of preparing a complete set of the grades was 

 $35, but within the past year it has been reduced to $25. A set 



DISTRIBUTION 



Official Cotton Gmdes 



of the 



US'Depdriment 

 ofAcriculfure 



The United States 

 Official Cotton Grades have 

 been on sale for two 

 years and one month. 

 The present price is §25 

 per set of nine grades. 



The chart does not shon the distribution abroad. 

 The Grades have been sold in Great Britain, Ger- 

 many. France, Italv. Belgium, Japan. India, and Mexico. 

 The Official Grades are prepared and issued by the 

 Secretary of Agriculture in accordance with law. 

 The Department has no power to dispose of the 

 Official Grades except by sale. 



of the grades consists of 9 boxes, each containing 12 samples, sepa- 

 rately packed, which show the range of diversity within the grade. 

 In the top of each box is a photograph showing the appearance of 

 the cotton when certified by the Secretary. Fractional sets are 

 sold practically pro rata. 



PERMANENCY AND VALUE OF STANDARDIZATION. 



One of the problems which confronted the department at the 

 beginning was the preservation of the grades as originally prepared 

 by the committee, and numerous experiments were made to deter- 

 mine the best plan to be followed. The experiments indicated that 



LCir. 109] 



